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The Wednesday Wars
by Gary D. Schmidt
Reviewed by Sonja Cole, Book Wink
Newbery Honor winner Gary D. Schmidt has written another book that has Newbery all over it. The Wednesday Wars is one of
those wonderful books that makes you laugh out loud, cry, and want to recommend it to everyone you know.
The year is 1967. America is concerned about the Vietnam War. Holling Hoodhood's parents are concerned about keeping up the
appearance of the perfect American family. And Holling is concerned about making it through 7th grade alive. From the
first day of school, Holling knows that his teacher Mrs. Baker hates him. Not because of anything he has done—he
hasn't even tried one of Doug Swietek's 410 ways to get a teacher to hate you—but because every Wednesday, half his
class leaves school early to go to Hebrew School, and the other half goes to CCD, leaving Holling alone with Mrs. Baker for
an hour until the end of the school day.
First she tries to murder him by sending him out to play soccer with Doug Swieteck's enormous and terrifying older brother
whose chest hair "leaped over the neck of his T-shirt." But Holling miraculously takes him out and manages to return
unscathed. Then Mrs. Baker tries to have him sent to remedial math, but the principal whose "long ambition had been to
become the dictator of a small country," says Holling doesn't need it. Finally Mrs. Baker resorts to spending the time reading
Shakespeare with Holling, no doubt hoping he will die of boredom. But surprisingly, Holling likes it. Maybe her plot is
even more devious than Holling suspected!
Over the next few months, Holling's relationship with Mrs. Baker grows from suspicion to genuine respect as both see the
human side of the other. Holling sees Mrs. Baker endure months of waiting for news about her husband who is MIA in Vietnam. And
Mrs. Baker sees Holling endure several hilarious, humiliating, and some life-changing trials of 7th grade.
Schmidt has honestly captured the voice of a 7th-grade boy and given us a character to cheer for. This is a perfect
choice for middle grade readers.
Summerhouse Time
by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff
Reviewed by Alice Herold, Big A little a
Summerhouse Time, by Eileen Spinelli, is a book of connected poems and the story about an extended
family going on vacation together. The poems are written through the eyes of an eleven-year-old girl, Sophie. Could
Sophie be the poet's daughter, grand-daughter, or even the poet herself? The poems are written in a wistful style about
the lazy days of summer. The first poem is "First Saturday in June" about the 59 upcoming days of summer when the family
members can rent bikes, fly kites, tell scary stories, and sit by the campfire. Sophie's mom says in the poem, "Mom," that
the best things in life aren't "things." She's happy she lives in a small house because there are fewer windows to wash.
Is this Eileen Spinelli's mother speaking or Eileen herself? Whoever it is...I like her! Sophie's father teaches American
history and bombards the family with questions such as "Which president ate cucumbers and vinegar for breakfast?"
(Answer: Ulysses S. Grant.)
Sophie has a budding romance with Jimmy Gabbiano, a new boy on her block. She says he wears a T-shirt that says
"Wonderkid" but has a shy smile. The shirt and the smile conflict!
Read to learn what happens to Sophie and her family at the summer rental. Why does her mom say, "Life is never perfect,
even at the summerhouse?"
Leap
by Jane Breskin Zalben
Reviewed by Jennie Rothschild, Biblio File
Krista and Daniel have been best friends since kindergarten, but come fourth grade, it's no longer socially acceptable to
have a best friend who's a girl, so they grow apart. Daniel becomes best friends with Bobby (Krista's love interest).
After fifth grade, Daniel goes in for a routine dental procedure that goes horribly wrong. Bobby's father was Daniel's
dentist, and even though Daniel needs her help more than ever, Krista feels forced to choose sides.
This is a tender story about the confusions of being twelve. Bodies change, friends change, everything changes. It is also
the story of Daniel's recovery and how his family deals (or doesn't) with these changes. The point of view changes between
Daniel and Krista with each chapter—a device that is wonderful, but hard to do. Zalben crafts two complicated
characters who tell compelling personal stories that are touching and real-to-life, without being melodramatic.
Leap is a quietly stirring tale that is at turns heartbreaking and hilarious.
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little
by Peggy Gifford, photographs by Valorie Fisher
Reviewed by Marcie Flinchum Atkins, World of Words
Moxy Maxwell is getting ready to start fourth grade. The most important task in front of her is to read her required
summer reading—Stuart Little. Moxy Maxwell is a procrastinator extraordinaire and avoids reading the book at
all costs. In fact, she spends the whole book avoiding Stuart Little. Moxy's mother is on to her, but she is
tired of excuses. This book is full of the family banter that occurs when a child avoids doing a task.
Moxy Maxwell is like is like a cross between Junie B. Jones and Gooney Bird Greene. In other words, Moxy has great voice. The whole story
is full of tangents that Moxy goes off on, but I could listen to Moxy go off on tangents all day. Her tangents are
entertaining and really bring life to a very simple story.
The chapters in this book have long titles, but each chapter is a short vignette. Some chapters are only a few sentences
long. The choppiness makes for a fast read that would appeal to reluctant readers. Readers, who, like Moxy, avoid reading
required books at all cost will enjoy her snappy, entertaining storytelling style.
This book is peppered with photographs of the goings-on of the Maxwell family, taken by Moxy's twin brother, Mark. There
are pictures of Moxy's mom showing a mad face, pictures of the dogs in the family, and pictures of Moxy's water-logged
copy of Stuart Little. The photographs are such a unique spin on the typical illustrations for a fiction chapter
book. It will make readers feel as though Moxy is telling them a story while she looks through pictures of her brother's
documentation of the summer. I hope we will hear more from Moxy Maxwell.
Reaching for Sun
by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
Reviewed by Marcie Flinchum Atkins, World of Words
Josie lives with a caring grandmother, an overworked mother, and their beautiful gardens. Her grandmother takes care of her
primarily because her mother is trying to work and go to school. She spends hours with her grandmother cooking and learning
about plants. At school, Josie stands out. She has cerebral palsy and has to attend special education classes. From the
very beginning pages of the book, the reader is drawn in and begins to care about Josie. "I've got special ed,/but if I wait/
until the hall clears,/taunts like tomatoes/don't splatter/the back of my head."
Josie is not accepted by the other kids—until Jordan comes into her life. Jordan treats her like she is just like
everyone else. Her life becomes full again as she spends her spare time with Jordan watching the world around her, making
notes about plants and bugs. Josie's mother and grandmother welcome Jordan into their lives as well. Jordan is without a
mother and his father works all of the time, so he welcomes the semblance of a family in Josie's home.
Unlike most preteens, Josie enjoys going to the nursing home with her grandmother to visit her grandmother's friends and
do activities with them. She says it is the only place where she doesn't "stick out/like a dandelion/in a purple petunia
patch." The residents at the nursing home accept her as she is, and appreciate her willingness to spend time with them.
This is a beautifully written novel in verse. Zimmer captures the thoughts and feelings of Josie and makes each poem ring
with a sense of wonder. The poems are interlinked, but each individually stands out and makes you think. This is a book I
will return to again and again to study the beauty of the language and the power of words.
Books Reviewed:
The Wednesday Wars, by Gary Schmidt. Clarion, 2007. ISBN: 0-6187-2483-4.
Summerhouse Time, by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff.
Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2007.
ISBN: 0-3758-4061-3.
Leap, by Jane Breskin Zalben. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2007. ISBN: 0-3758-3871-6.
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little, by Peggy Gifford, photographs by Valorie Fisher.
Schwartz & Wade, 2007.
ISBN: 0-3758-3915-1.
Reaching for Sun, by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer. Bloomsbury USA Children's Books, 2007.
ISBN: 1-5999-0037-8.
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